Adel Aide & South AuStr Ali AOUTBACKAdel Aide & South AuStr Ali AGETTINGTHERE&AROUNDAdel Aide & South AuStr Ali AWOOMERABUS
Greyhound Australia(www�greyhound�com �
au) Daily coachesfrom Adelaideto Alice
Springs($331,19½ hours),stoppingat Pimba
($122,sevenhours),Glendambo($153,8¼
hours)and CooberPedy ($197,10½ hours)�
Onlinefares are cheaper�
CAR
TheStuartHwyissealedfromPortAugusta
toDarwin�InSA,fuelandaccommodationare
availableatPimba(171kmfromPortAugusta),
Glendambo(285km),CooberPedy(535km),
CadneyHomestead(689km)andMarla(771km)�
Pimba,CooberPedyandMarlahave24-hourfuel
sales �TheOodnadattaTrack,BirdsvilleTrack
orStrzeleckiTrackaresubjecttoclosureafter
heavyrains−checkconditionswiththeRoyal
AutomobileAssociationinAdelaide,oronlineat
www �dpti �sa �gov �au/OutbackRoads�
TRAIN
TheGhantrainrunsthroughtheSAoutback
betweenAdelaideandAliceSprings;seep1091
fordetails�
Woomera
POP 450
A 6km detour off the Stuart Hwy from Pim-
ba (population 50; 485km from Adelaide),
Woomera began in 1947 as HQ for experi-
mental British rocket and nuclear tests at
notorious sites like Maralinga. Local indig-
enous tribes suffered greatly from nuclear
fallout. These days Woomera is an eerie,
oddly artificial government town that’s still
an active Department of Defence test site.
Rocket into the Woomera ̈ Heritage ̈ & ̈
Visitor ̈ Information ̈ Centre (%08-8673
7042;www �woomera�com �au; DewrangAve; muse-
um adult/child$6/3;h9am-5pmMar-Nov,10am-
2pm Dec-Feb), with its displays on Woomera’s
past and present (plus a bowling alley!). Just
across the car park is the Lions ̈Club ̈Air-
craft ̈& ̈Missile ̈Park, studded with jets and
rocket remnants.
Built to house rocket scientists, the Eldo ̈
Hotel (%08-8673 7867; www �eldohotel�com �
au; Kotara Ave; d from $95; a) has comfort-
able motel-style rooms in a couple of 1960s
buildings, and serves à la carte meals in an
urbane bistro (mains $16 to $32, serving
noon to 2pm and 6pm to 8.30pm). Try the
kangaroo bratwurst snags!
Continue north through Woomera for
90km (sealed road) and you’ll hit Roxby ̈
Downs (www�roxbydowns�com), population
4500, a bizarrely affluent desert town built
to service the massive Olympic Dam Mine,
which digs up untold amounts of copper, sil-
ver, gold and uranium.Woomera to Coober Pedy
Around 115km northwest of Pimba and
245km shy of Coober Pedy, middle-of-no-
where Glendambo (population 30) was es-
tablished in 1982 as a Stuart Hwy service
centre. This is the last fuel stop before Coo-
ber Pedy.
You can bunk down at the oasis-like Glen-
dambo ̈Hotel-Motel (%08-86721030;Stuart
Hwy; unpowered/poweredsites $18/22,d$99-120;
ais), which has bars, a restaurant and
a bunch of decent motel units. Outside are
dusty camp sites; inside are meaty mains at
the bistro ($16 to $30, serving noon to 2pm
and 6pm to 8pm).
North of Glendambo the Stuart Hwy
enters the government-owned Woomera
Prohibited Area − the highway itself is un-
restricted, but don’t go a-wanderin’ now,
y’hear?Coober Pedy
POP 3500
Coming into Coober Pedy the dry, barren
desert suddenly becomes riddled with holes
and adjunct piles of dirt − reputedly more
than a million around the township. The
reason for all this rabid digging is opals,
which have made this small town a min-
ing mecca. This isn’t to say it’s also a tourist
mecca − with swarms of flies, no trees, 50°C
summer days, subzero winter nights, cave-
dwelling locals and rusty car wrecks in front
yards, you might think you’ve arrived in a
wasteland. But it sure is interesting!DESERT ̈PARKS ̈PASSTo explore the outback environment
consider purchasing a Desert ̈Parks ̈
Pass (%1800816078;http://forms�
bizgate�sa� gov �au/deh/parkspasses/desert�
htm;percar$150), allowing access to
seven outback parks (including camp-
ing), with a map and handbook. Pick
one up from the DEWNR in Adelaide
or Post Augusta, order one online and
have it mailed to you (Australia only),
or see http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/
parks/park_entry_fees/parks_pass_
outlets for regional pass agents in the
Flinders Ranges and SA outback.